Bulldogs continue season preparations

Coach Bryan Oakes found the positives in Quitman’s scrimmage against Hawkins Friday at the Bulldog’s practice field. Although referees did not show up for the scrimmage, coaches from both teams took over calling the extended practice session.

The team and coaches were at the field house Saturday for a light workout and to go over Friday’s scrimmage. “We did a lot of good things out there and we saw quite a few things we need to correct. Today (Saturday) the kids seem to understand more about what we are trying to accomplish,” Oakes said. “We have so many who have not played varsity I believe it took them a few plays to adjust to the speed of varsity football. Once we settled down we saw some encouraging things.”

Oakes believes the team is coming together. “I think the kids are finally seeing the big picture. It all boils down to doing our jobs. It’s a one-on-one battle in every phase of the game,” Oakes noted. “You have to know what your job is and you have to do it every play.”

There are still plenty of things to work on. “We spend too much time watching the ball. On defense you have to have a reaction to the action. As soon as the ball is snapped my key will tell me what is fixing to happen,” Oakes added. “We need to pick up on that quicker. We have to get them to understand these things. “

Oakes said he was happy with the skill positions. “I thought our execution of the plays by our skill people was good. Up front on the line we struggled a little bit with our footwork but that can be corrected. We need to work on the small details and we will be fine,” Oakes explained. “We want our kids to play fast. We are not going to play slow. It was a good workout against a good Hawkins team.”

Oakes was happy with the defensive effort. “I saw a lot of positives. I like the way our kids got to the ball. We attacked the ball really well. We talk about the mentality of the dog. When you see two dogs fighting all the dogs will get into it. That’s the mentality we want on defense, all of our kids on the ball,” Oakes said. “You never know when the ball might pop out. We let them get a couple of late scores but we regrouped and made a stop. Our kids will hit you.”

The Bulldogs will host Como-Pickton Thursday beginning at 5 p.m. At press time it was not known if the scrimmage would be at Bud Moody Stadium or the practice field. The Monitor will update the site on our Facebook page when it is available.